The Latest: Chapman Tornado Had Winds of up to 180 Mph

The National Weather Service says a tornado that damaged or destroyed about 20 homes near the northeast Kansas town of Chapman was an EF4 with estimated peak winds of 180 mph.

Weather service surveyors determined the tornado started at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday and stayed on the ground for 26 miles before ending around 8:40 p.m. Kansas officials said Thursday numerous power lines and a set of railroad tracks were damaged in the storm.

The twister passed just south of Chapman, a community of 1,400 that in 2008 lost more than 60 homes and had several school buildings and churches damaged by a similar-sized tornado that cut through the heart of the town.

The weather service says Wednesday’s tornado was a half-mile wide and completely destroyed a farmstead near Chapman.

Earlier Thursday the weather service had rated the tornado as an EF3. Source